Building story bridges: oral histories expand

KEENE | The joy of storytelling with a local focus in this town has spread. There are now over 42 partner oral history projects in 16 states created through the OurStoryBridge system, each adding vocal volumes to local collections of history, life and times. Keene's stories are contained in a collection called Adirondack Community, sponsored by the Keene Valley Library. Categories have expanded over five years with memories and modern-day narratives that encompass everyday and not-so-everyday events: myadirondackstory.org Jery Huntley, MLS is founder and president of OurStoryBridge Inc., the organization that helps communities build a digital bridge to connect past with present. Each narrative is a tale from life experience. Collections around the country bring together elders and youth, letter carriers, miners, farmers, veterans, survivors, adventurists and everyday working people. "Starting with our work in Keene on the first Partner Project in 2019, we never would have dreamed that this would grow to support 42 partner projects in 16 states," she told The Sun. Huntley created OurStoryBridge.org near the end of 2020 as a core resource to help history groups, libraries, museums and towns connect their stories via living memory. "Partner Projects in the Adirondacks have grown to include eight projects," Huntley said, including the Adirondack Community project in Keene. In Willsboro, the Paine Memorial Library is collecting oral history via Willsboro Story Bridge. willsborostorybridge.org In Lake Placid, the Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society maintains its Lake Placid Legacies History Project: lakeplacidhistory.org/oral-history The Adirondack Mountain Club created ADK Voices and so far has amassed over 70 stories of mountain peaks, trials, tribulation and trail breaking, among many other topics: adkvoices.org/#hear-our-stories Advocating for the Adirondacks is an ongoing oral history project created by the Adirondack Council: advocatingfortheadirondacks.org The Two Towns Story Project is a community outreach project of the Wanakena Historical Association: twotownsstoryproject.com John Brown Lives! created the Freedom Story Project in collaboration with OurStoryBridge and has over 115 recollections in its digital files: freedomstoryproject.org Adirondack Architectural Heritage created Camp Santanoni Stories, gathering stories related to the Town of Newcomb and Great Camp Santanoni: campsantanonistories.org Additional oral history collections are growing at county historical societies in Schoharie and Chenango counties; at the Underground Railroad Educational Center in Albany; and at Sackets Harbor Battlefield Historic Site. A New Agora for New York, created by the Museum Association of New York, is celebrating Voices and Votes: Democracy in America at 12 museum sites throughout the state through this year and next. The project is building an oral history anthology through OurStoryBridge. Agora is a Greek word that means a gathering place. Nationwide, storytelling of past and present is being documented from Oregon to Kentucky; from Alaska, Louisiana, Ohio, Arkansas to Vermont, Pennsylvania and Connecticut and beyond. "It all started in Keene," Huntley mused. A librarian by trade, Huntley said she finds people are very appreciative of what they've created. Podcasts are becoming an integral part of the oral history compilation, she said, with a new release "Veterans in Keene," presented by Tom Both, a veteran and former Town of Keene supervisor: myadirondackstory.org/podcasts#1 Huntley said their organization was just awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant. At just over $23,000, the funding will support a project titled Interpretive Capacity Building for Short-Form Oral Histories. Working with 18 advisors from across the U.S., OurStoryBridge will identify new and effective ways to distribute oral history. Most StoryBridge-associated projects include teaching resources related to local history, industry, landmarks and social studies. For more information and links to oral history projects via OurStoryBridge Inc.: www.ourstorybridge.org To connect via email createyourstoryproject@gmail.com

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Building story bridges: oral histories expand

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